Paid parking timings 'unreasonable'

Authorities requested to be more flexible during Ramadan

By

Waheed Abbas

PublishedWednesday, August 11, 2010

Residents have complained about night paid parking timings. (FILE)

The UAE residents have complained about “unreasonable” car parking timings and have appealed to the local authorities to be more flexible concerning paid parking during the holy month of Ramdan by extending the free time during the Isha’a (night) and Taraweeh prayers.

According to the Department of Transport parking in Abu Dhabi will now be charged from 9pm until 2am – a busy time for fasting residents. Parking is, however, free from 4pm to 9pm and from 2am to 9am through the fasting month. But residents urged the authorities concerned to extend free-parking timings till Fajr prayer.

“I go to mosque for Isha’a and Taraweeh prayers at 9pm; this is the time when the free parking time ends and paid parking begins. Since Isha’a and Taraweeh prayers take nearly two hours, we can’t concentrate and are constantly thinking about our vehicles parked outside.

This is a big hassle for those offering prayers in mosques and needs a remedy. We request extension in free parking timings from Maghrib to Fajr times during Ramadan,” said a local resident.

He urged authorities to help the mosque users by looking into it on an urgent basis because Ramadan began on Wednesday.

Other emirates – where parking problems are even worse – have also reschedule timings for paid parking during the holy month.

In Dubai, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) last month revised the working hours of paid parking zones with the morning session remaining as it is (from 08:00am to 01:00pm), and the evening session starting from 7pm till midnight.

The timings announced by RTA are even worse. The timings from 7pm till midnight will not just affect the Isha’a and Taraweeh prayers but also the Maghrib prayer. Muslims their fast at Maghrib time which falls at 7pm.

“This is the time when people are hurrying to reach home to break the fast in time.

But I have seen people driving around to find parking; they are not even able to find paid parking – forget about the free parking. RTA should reconsider the evening timings for paid parking during Ramdan,” a Dubai-resident resident.

The residents suggest that the paid parking timings should be reduced during the holy month to make life easier for those who are fasting.